Pedestrian priority zones
The need for change
There is a need for a form of pedestrian priority zone, where the traffic rules are understood and enforced, which could be applied to a wide range of local circumstances.
At present in the UK, apart from at a Home Zone, we have no means to simply and clearly designate a street or part of a street as a zone where pedestrians have priority.
Home Zones, introduced about a quarter of century ago, rely on physical traffic calming structurs such as road humps and pavement chicanes to reduce vehicle. This has proved to be expensive and/or unsightly and inconvenient. In addition, as their name implies, they are intended only for residential areas.
The other method of providing a pedestrian friendly, traffic reduced road is to restrict vehicle movement to access only and to ban vehicles completely during certain hours. These restrictions are not helpful for local businesses who may need essential deliveries, etc. nor do they allow vulnerable pedestrians a completely stress-free environment to roam at will.
How it could be done
A new approach to creating pedestrian priority zones could follow common European practice. The variety of Swiss pedestrian priority zones (Begegnungszonen) that we studied in April 2026 included a historic town centre, at Solothurn, a through traffic road which operated as a 60metre long pedestrian crossing at Grenchen and a multi-use town centre road junction at Biel.
In each case, pedestrians used the full road space totally stress-free. Children, the elderly and those with disabilities, including the totally blind, were seen to be confident to use the road space in the knowledge that the rules on speed reduction and respect would be observed.
Though the current UK Home Zone needs revision, its traffic rules are clearly stated in the Highway Code at paragraph 218 “You should drive slowly and carefully and be prepared to stop to allow people extra time to make space for you to pass them safely.”
From our studies, it appears essential that a pedestrian priority zone will need an enforced speed limit. The examples we studied all had 20kph, equivalent to 15mph, clearly indicated on the zone entrance sign.
We saw several semi or fully autonomous vehicles which were obviously registering and complying with the speed limit. Drivers were used to the rules and were careful to respect vulnerable pedestrians.
Where it could be done
It appears that a monitored trial could be put in place at modest cost and quite quickly using the existing powers of a local highway authority, applying a reasonable variation of existing Home Zone regulations.
Throughout the UK there will be many localities that would benefit from one of the many forms of pedestrian priority zone.
It's easy.